Into the Wolf's Cave
by ErieDragon
Summary: Inu Yasha meets his match against the raged Kouga and suffers the ultimate consequence. Will Kagome ever recover and turn to the Wolf?
1. Courtyard of Blood

Yep. Deathfic. Woo-oo. For all you Kagome/IY fans.. suck it up. InuYasha just doesn't appreciate Kagome.. maybe this will teach him a lesson. A Kagome/Kouga.. Yup. Gotta love the wimpy wolf, eh?

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Into the Wolf's Cave

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Courtyard of Blood

Kagome squeezed her eyes closed, holding Shippo close to her chest. The kitsune watched the fight with wide eyes, his sandy tail puffed all around him. Kirara kept her teeth on the back of Kagome's shirt to prevent her from falling off the roof to her death. Not far to their left, Sango held Miroku in her lap, wrapping some cloth she had taken from her pink and black outfit around the wound on his arm.

Kouga's eyes had begun to burn a hateful red, and a sickening, purplish-black glow could be seen from the wound on his arm. Kagome could see the fake shikon shard, which now flooded his body with poison of odium. The wolf youkai lunged at Inu Yasha again, slashing out with his claws and fangs.

Inu Yasha breathed heavily, leaning on the enormous Tetsusaiga. The fang had done him no good in this fight so far; its new weight was causing him a great deal of trouble. He could smell Naraku, knowing that his nemesis had intentionally covered the hanyou in the blood of Kouga's men to spur the wolf's anger. Now, he would stop at nothing to kill Inu Yasha.

Kagome felt helpless as Kouga delivered another blow to Inu Yasha. She slowly clambered back onto the roof to get a more stable position, slowly prying Shippo off her shirt. Kagome looked down, pulling her skirt off her thighs, when she heard a scream.

Frantically looking over the edge of the roof, Kagome was barely grabbed by Kirara before toppling off the roof once more. The sight before her made her body begin to tremble and her hair stand on end. Amidst the blood and broken bodies of wolf youkai, stood Kouga.

He held a slowly beating heart, of which half of was a dank black. Inu Yasha lay on the ground, his eyes open and dripping with blood. A huge hole had appeared in his chest, and his body spasmed as he coughed more blackened blood.

Kouga dropped the heart, which splattered silently on the fallen blade of Tetsusaiga. He grabbed his arm, backing up from the fallen Inu Yasha. He raised his head, letting out an immense howl that hung between victory, anger, and sadness.

Kagome could only stare, her arms twitching as she blinked rapidly. She suddenly went limp, only Kirara's grip on her shirt holding her from falling off the building. The fiery cat youkai pulled her back up onto the rafters, looking first at her un-reflecting, dull brown eyes, which twitched involuntarily at irregular intervals. Kirara looked back at the scene before her, Kouga's immense howl filling the youkai's ears.

Kagome had retreated from the world around her, only the sound of the wolf's cry penetrating her mind. She swam in blackness, unable to breathe, unable to think past the sight of Inu Yasha's dead body. The hanyou who had protected her, who she had involuntarily fallen in love with. He had pushed through practically impossible odds, changing from a blood-driven hanyou to a caring, beautiful human. He had, in heart, become human; he had taken blow after blow for her, even gotten up the courage to follow her to her time through the well.

And now he was gone.

All she could hear was the wolf's howl, filling her mind with every possible emotion. Inu Yasha was gone, dead. What had suddenly become her whole life had blinked out, like a candle suddenly extinguished.

Opening her eyes, Kagome let out a blood-curdling scream that rivaled Kouga's mournful howl, filling the air with a cacophony of immortal wounds.


	2. Fleeing Wolf

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Into the Wolf's Cave

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Fleeing Wolf

Inuyasha was gone. Dead. The reality sunk in deeply, pouring into the crevices of Kagome's mind. Her thoughts didn't revolve around finding the shikon shards, killing Naraku, or going home to study for her next test; all she could see, all she could feel and all she could hear was Inuyasha. 

Shoving Kirara and Shippo off of her, Kagome ran towards the edge of the roof, using every last ounce of strength in her scrawny legs to vault off the gutter, landing with a loud, snapping thud on the ground between two bloody bodies. The shock ran up through her legs and knees, the ripple of pain barely dawning on her as she ran towards where Kouga stood, staring ahead blankly.

Kagome ran past him, pushing him out of her way with whatever strength she had left. He tried to grab her arm, but she screamed some incomprehensible thing at him as she sank to the ground, feeling the storm clouds beginning to form around her.

Inuyasha lay on the ground in the center of the courtyard, his once beautiful, orange-yellow eyes staring up with a blank, dead stare. Kagome sat over him, her arms quivering, hands clenched into tight, white-knuckle fists. She couldn't cry; she was beyond crying. Crying would never express her emotion, crying was too weak.

So instead, she screamed. Kagome screamed with all her might, collapsing on top of the bloody Inuyasha. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck, her arms clutching at the sides of his red gi as she screamed into his rapidly cooling skin.

The wind began to blow, growing steadily as she slowly quieted down, her voice becoming muffled and sickly. Sango helped Miroku to his feet, the monk and the youkai exterminator walking slowly with each other's help towards where the mourning Kagome lay. They were both equally stunned; they walked past the blank Kouga as if the wolf youkai didn't exist.

Then Kagome began to cry. She sat up, tears flowing silently down her face as she cradled Inuyasha's soft, unblemished face in her trembling hands. Reaching forward with one finger, Kagome lightly closed his eyelids and leaned forward, planting one small kiss on his forehead.

One kiss that she had always wanted from him, from his soft lips. Oh yes. Kagome knew she had loved Inuyasha, wanted to protect him just as he protected her. She wanted all the feelings he had for Kikyo, the woman from his past brought back in a pitiful body of clay and bones. Kagome had Kikyo's soul; they were two very different people, but Kagome could never understand why Inuyasha couldn't think of her as he thought of Kikyo. The dead bitch had tried to kill him!

Taking her mind off it, she looked down at the soft face of Inuyasha, which had suddenly relaxed. He looked almost peaceful, despite the brown blood still trickling lightly down his cheeks. Kagome brushed back one lock of his silvery white hair, her fingers tweaking his once alert and sensitive ears.

Inuyasha was dead. Their fates were intertwined, destined, their eternal lines living in an argumentative, hidden pattern. Kagome needed the hanyou, not only to protect her and help her retrieve the Shikon no Tama, but to fill the void in her heart that only he had gained access to.

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes, standing up. She turned back to where Kouga stood; the wolf youkai was no longer looking off into space, but had his unfocused, blue eyes trained on her. His face was straight and unreadable, his fur bandana casting a shadow over his brow.

Kagome walked slowly towards him, unsure of what to do. She wanted to hit him, wanted to stab him, wanted to throw him to the ground and torture him to all ends of the Earth; all feelings she had never before felt in the entirety of her life. She bit her lip, a small trickle of blood forming and trailing down her chin. His eyes widened considerably as her hand whipped across his face, sending his head careening off to one side.

Kouga turned back slowly, his cheek squashed and burning a bright red. His eyes were now as wide as saucers, either shocked at her daringness or her strength. Kagome began to breathe harder, images of Inuyasha's bloody body haunting her without even having to turn around and look at him. She began to hyperventilate, and this time slapped him with her other hand.

Kouga caught her hand in mid-air, his emotionless sapphire eyes plastered on her. She had the urge to shrink back, but remained standing strong, staring right back at him.

"You monster," Kagome accused, her eyes glowing daggers. Kouga almost released her in surprise at her harsh words, but he retained a semi-decent grasp on her small wrist.

"Puppy killed them," Kouga responded, looking at the grotesque, bloody body of the inu youkai. Kagome let out a loud hiss, pulling her wrist roughly away from him. 

"Get away from me," she demanded, stepping back into the waiting hands of Miroku and Sango. The monk put his hands on her shoulders in assurance, Sango following suit. Kouga looked at the two helplessly, his eyes flashing with hundreds of uncountable emotions. Miroku turned away, and Sango merely focused her eyes on the shivering Kagome.

"Kagome..." Kouga took a step towards her.

Kagome looked up, her eyes glittering with tears, her face lighting on fire. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed at him, pulling away from Miroku and turning, taking off through the courtyard. She vaulted over bodies, screaming as she stubbed her foot on one particularly large one. She let out a long string of curses, surprising all three of them.

Shippo jumped off the roof, running after the fleeing Kagome, who had now reached the outer gate of Naraku's castle. The kitsune followed her silently, staying a good distance behind her.

"Kagome!" he cried, desperately trying to stop her from doing something stupid, which she most likely would. His efforts only caused the enraged girl to speed up, vaulting expertly onto the road which led away from the courtyard and towards the mountains.

Kagome couldn't see or hear anything. She could barely make out the familiar voice of Shippo, but she didn't want to be around him. She wanted everyone to just go away, leave her alone with Inuyasha. Leave her alone with the memories she had of him, leave her alone with his spirit, which still lingered. Everything was just a blur, and all she could feel were her feet pounding monotonously, mercilessly against the rocky road.

Kagome eventually had to slow down, with the voices following her finally leaving altogether. She was finally alone. She stopped, panting, her hands on her knees as she felt blood rushing to her head. Kagome wobbled, ignoring the immense headache rushing through her head or the wave of nausea threatening to overtake her.

She toppled forward, waiting almost happily for the painful ground to intercept her head. 

It never came. Kagome felt herself held in a brace, both soft and strong at the same time. She retreated back into her mind further, her arms curling up tightly to herself as she buried her face in the soft feeling. Her legs gave way, her whole body suddenly absorbed by the wonderful sensation around her. Was this death? Was this what Inuyasha experienced? Inuyasha...

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed, pounding ineffectively with her fists against the powerful arms that now held her up. She didn't dare open her eyes; she could feel the soft fur of Kouga's wristbands caressing her shivering gooseflesh.

"Where are you taking her?!" Sango's distant voice demanded, Kagome's soft bed jerked slightly. Miroku added his objections, albeit a bit quieter.

Kouga's rough, husky voice caught the still distant Kagome off-guard. "With me!" he responded loudly, his response followed by a menacing growl. Kagome gulped, stopping the tears threatening to stain her cheeks once more. She tried to pull her mind away from all that was happening around her, to just disappear forever. 

"Why..?" Shippo's innocent question was drowned out by the sudden sound of rushing air. Kagome shivered, her hands clutching the soft warmth enveloping her. The strong arms tightened around her, holding her closer to the cool, smooth material her face had come into contact with. Nothing registered in Kagome's mind; she was gone. She had no desire to return, distancing herself to a place where she could be with Inuyasha forever. Whether or not it was some figment of her imagination, Kagome no longer cared.

Nothing mattered, except.. except the soft warmth that now surrounded her, causing her mind to slowly turn off. Kagome faded into unconsciousness, the soft wind blowing her black hair into the air. The momentum changed every few seconds in uneven intervals, lulling her to a matted, dreamless sleep.

Kouga held the girl in his arms even closer, the disgustingly purplish mark on his arm growing from the shikon shard embedded in it. He leaped from rock to rock, steadily climbing the mountain towards his home. Only now did it register with him what happened; Kagome had been there, Kagome knew Inuyasha had done nothing wrong. Still inexplicable were Kouga's dead comrades and their blood spattered all over the framed inu hanyou, but that didn't matter at this moment. The wolf youkai had seen the woman he loved losing her mind over the death of some pathetic puppy. Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Kagome was sick. Her sprint, her blood, her sudden snuggling into his embrace, gave Kouga an extremely uneasy feeling. 

He shivered slightly, his shikon shard-powered legs sending him flying across another deep canyon in the mountain. Kagome's feelings for Inuyasha were a mystery to Kouga. After killing the hanyou his woman was obviously in love with, the wolf youkai knew he would never in a million years make it up to Kagome. Not even that; he had kidnapped her, forced her to work for him, then had out of the blue announced his feelings for her and even threatened Inuyasha's life numerous times.

It was best to get her to some place where she could rest. 

Landing on the rocky plateau of his home, Kouga snarled as his wolves came, tails wagging, to greet him. They rapidly backed off, giving some signal to the other wolf youkai gathering around.

"Sister?!" called a familiar voice. A tall, mohawked youkai rushed up, examining the sleeping Kagome. He looked up at the absent-looking Kouga. "What happened?"

"Sleep," the prince responded, carrying her into his cave. When his men attempted to follow him inside, he forcefully tied down his wolf-skin curtain and cursed a few times, keeping the other wolves far away.

Kouga walked deeper into the cave to where he and Kagome had first officially met. Though, not under the best of circumstances, Kouga still remembered taking such delight in her first angry, then sympathetic attitude. 

The wolf youkai set her gently on the straw bed, taking a worship fur off the wall where it hang. He tucked it over her shivering body, running his claws lightly through her black hair before climbing up onto the elevated bed as well, propping his back up against the wall. He closed his eyes, his legs protectively extending out past Kagome's curled up body. 

It was his fault. All his fault.

***

Hn. The next one will be longer, hopefully. I have to gain some momentum here. :) This may be long, this may be short.. I have no idea. It's just coming bit by bit, you know how inspiration works. Thank you for all your wonderful supportive reviews. ^_^


	3. Reasoning With the Devil

I know, my chapters aren't long, but oh well. Also, yes, this is a Kouga/Kagome. Inuyasha's dead; how the heck do you expect it to be an IY/Kag fic if he's _dead_? Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone else for their reviews. This is a bit hard to write, being that I'm working full time on my other Escaflowne fic. Enjoy.

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Into the Wolf's Cave

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Reasoning With the Devil

Kagome did not dream that night. She was haunted by nightmares.

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The wolf was after her; his sleek, brown coat glistened in the moon, but his long, bloody fangs betrayed his elegance. Kagome ran and ran, but she found she was unable to move. The wolf approached her rapidly, his massive, clawed paws floating above the ground as he galloped towards her.

"Help!" she cried, panting from exertion. She tried to move again. "Inuyasha! Help!" The wolf suddenly froze, raising its large, yellow eyes to her.

"Inuyasha can't help you now," it growled, sinking to the ground. It walked towards her, sniffing her legs, and moving its nose up her thigh to her skirt. Kagome jumped, pulling her green skirt down and glaring at the creature. It let out a snarling laugh, baring its teeth.

"Come on, Kagome," the wolf began again, circling her. It suddenly stood up on two feet, its fur rapidly giving way to pinkish skin. "Just forget Inuyasha," the creature continued, its nose and face becoming more and more human, its brown hair turning into a black mane. 

"Never!" Kagome responded indignantly, watching as the wolf's yellow eyes became large and blue, its body lengthening and its arms and legs switching. 

Kouga came closer, taking her face in his palm. "Kagome," he said, his voice low and husky. She shivered, carefully meeting his gaze. "Inuyasha..."

Kouga was cut off as she woke up.

Kagome's eyes snapped open. Looking around, she found herself curled up, her head resting against the space between the wall and... Kouga's leg. Her feet were draped over his shins, and he looked asleep. 

Carefully removing herself, slid off the straw bed. _It was just a bad dream_, she thought to herself. _Inuyasha's not dead. He's waiting for me with Sango and Miroku. _Kagome nodded her head, wincing as her black shoes clicked loudly on the stone floor of the gave. She saw Kouga flinch, but he made no move to get up.

Kagome slowly made her way across the cave, tripping once or twice on invisible rocks. The cave was annoyingly dark, and she found her exit blocked by a tightly tied down wolf skin. Kagome began picking at the nail on the wall, but shrieked loudly when she felt warm arms wrap around her waist and a hot breath trail down her neck.

"Where are you going, woman?" Kouga's voice a perfect imitation of the one in her dream. She felt a chill run down her spine, her body struggling to not relax against the warm chest pressed to her back. She saw his gray chest armor lying near the door and shuddered again.

"I asked a question," Kouga continued, pulling her in closer. She had never been in such close proximity with a man, not to mention a demon, beside Inuyasha once or twice. Not knowing what to feel, Kagome sighed against him.

"Home," she responded quietly. Kouga furrowed his brow, putting his hands on her shoulders and turning her around to face him. Kagome looked at the floor, her black hair falling over her face.

"Home? Where is that?" he asked, lifting her chin with one hand. Her brown eyes were soft and sad, and her face was so drawn and hopeless... Kouga shook his head.

"The future. In the village below the mountains, and down a well... that is where I live," Kagome replied, bringing her gaze up to his. The wolf youkai raised one eyebrow, then picked her up suddenly.

"That doesn't matter. You're living here now," Kouga said confidently, plopping her less-than-gracefully on the straw bed. She glared at him indignantly.

"You kill my best friend, the.. the one I _love_, and now you're demanding I live here with you?" Kagome snarled back, sitting against the cave wall. Kouga tapped his chin, then looked at her and nodded.

"Yes, that sounds about right," he confirmed. "That puppy isn't around anymore, so you can be mine now, right?" Kagome stared at him.

"You're crazy," she said icily, crawling away as he jumped onto the straw bed, crouching with one hand supporting himself. 

"Not entirely," Kouga replied, watching as she sat against the wall, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She had always seemed so trusting and kind before; now Kagome looked at him as if he were death itself.

"With Inuyasha gone, you're vulnerable," the wolf youkai started again. Kagome merely glared at him. "More than before, anyway. I have to protect you. I can do that best if you're mine." She was not convinced.

Kouga sighed, sitting down cross-legged. He closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling deeply as he put his arms out to either side of him. "Kagome," Kouga called quietly. Kagome raised her gaze, meeting his now open blue eyes. "Come here," he insisted, his brown tail waving back and forth behind him. 

Kagome watched him for a moment, his face becoming soft and pitiful. Instantly her memories of Inuyasha returned; memories of the looks he only had for her. His lips slightly tweaked in a smile, his elegant nose, his soft golden eyes, all just for her. Tears sprang to her eyes, and without thinking twice Kagome crawled over and collapsed in Kouga's waiting arms.

The wolf youkai had no idea it would be that easy. He knew she wasn't thinking of him. Her mind was still with that pathetic puppy, but soon those memories would be replaced by him. Kouga smiled at the thought, the thought of claiming the beautiful black-haired girl as his. 

Kagome began to cry, letting her tears run freely as Kouga's hand rubbed her back, his other arm holding her to his chest. She knew it wasn't right to be there with him, using the wolf youkai as a support pillow. Kagome wished and wished, praying and hoping she would open her eyes to find herself being cradled by Inuyasha.

But he was gone, and she would just have to face the reality. Kagome's sobs began to falter to light sniffles, her tears beginning to dry up on her red streaked face. She merely let herself be held, her mind wandering to distant places and better thoughts.

What about the Shikon no Tama? Without Inuyasha, what would become of them? Could Kagome just go back home, leave feudal Japan forever, without overtly affecting her future? 

Kagome shook her head slightly. She had done too much, made too many friends. She couldn't abandon them now: Miroku, Sango, Shippo, even Kaede and Myouga. Kagome was bound to them now, and would have to see to the end what she began. Whether or not she died at the hands of the already prevailing Naraku or the still vengeful Sesshoumaru would be for fate to decide. Kagome would just have to do her best.

"Kouga," she began, trying to stay reasonable. She stiffened in his grasp, making him raise one eyebrow. "I can't stay here." Kouga growled, tightening his grasp on her.

"I was nice before," he said sternly, "but the puppy is gone. I can't let you go now." Kagome pushed away from him, albeit unsuccessfully. She raised her head, locking gazes with the angry wolf youkai.

"I can't! I must continue what I came here to do. I must complete the Shikon no Tama, and carry on what Inuyasha wanted. Don't you understand?!" The last few words came out a high pitched cry, her voice becoming desperate. Kouga's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he furrowed his brow again. He tightened his resolve, pulling her back to him.

"Then I will go with you," he said quietly. Kagome pulled away a bit, staring at him in shock.

"Kouga..."

"If it will allow me to stay with you," Kouga continued, not meeting her gaze. "I will help you finish the Shikon no Tama. On one condition." Kagome raised one eyebrow. She knew she wasn't going to like it, but without Inuyasha, they would have no firepower against the demons they would, without a doubt, fight along the way.

"And what's that?" Kagome asked, her voice twitchy and unsure. Kouga looked down at her, stroking his hand through her hair.

"That when it is done, you will stay here and be mine." Kagome lowered her head, taking one hand and opening it, examining the curves that ran along her palm. 

She could always come to love him the way he loved her, she supposed. After all, he was incredibly handsome.. strong.. She owed it to Inuyasha. Kagome would do whatever she could to repay the inu hanyou.

"I will," she replied quietly. Kagome turned away slightly, examining the ground. A look of triumph crossed Kouga's face and without warning, he jumped off the bed and hoisted her into his arms, kicking down the wolf pelt on the door.

The wolf youkai stood on the edge of the cliff, holding a terrified Kagome in his arms, and let out a howl of possession and triumph to the world. Kagome would be his.


End file.
